Premature infants are often biochemically deficient in linoleic acid, the principal essential fatty acid, and this may represent a clinically detrimental state of malnutrition. Essential fatty acid deficiency is especially likely to occur in neonates with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) because of the delay in providing them with sufficient amounts of dietary linoleic acid. The purpose of this study is to develop and determine a routine, safe method of achieving normal linoleic acid levels in the neonatal period.